Monday, April 13, 2009

"Can a company be bitchy?"

I am pleased to report that my computer, Babs, has finally returned from her trip to the Mac home world. She now boasts a replaced gizmo and a shiny new thingamabob, the combination of which allows me to actually turn her on. Yay! We celebrated by cuddling on the couch and watching streaming video all weekend long. I am pleased to report that I have caught up on (almost) all of the shows I want to watch. This in turn heralds a massive influx of TV blog posts ... i.e. hopefully more than one. So, without further ado, my review of Better Off Ted.

This is the story of Ted Crisp, the head of R&D at the Veridian corporation, a faceless monolith with its finger in every pie. From scratchy office chairs that improve productivity to organic vegetables chock-full of antidepressants, Veridian does it all! And while it doesn't necessary mean to be evil... well, you get the picture.

They put one of their scientists in a cryogenic chamber,without knowing that they would be able to reanimate him.That's cold.

After watching the first episode, I started searching my office for surveillance equipment. Even though the situations are farcical, the characters and relationships could have been lifted from my life. Ted has to constantly walk the line between basic human decency (embodied by his daughter, Rose) and the absurdities that arise when powerful people become completely detached from reality (see his boss, Veronica, played by Portia de Rossi). I get that.

Best line of the first episode goes to Rose:"Do grown-ups even care about right and wrong?"

It doesn't hurt that the cast is filled out with great, quirky characters. Linda is the disgruntled employee stealing creamer as an act of rebellion. Phil and Lem are the sweet, harmless scientists who often need protection from the company - and themselves. And the writing is so great that Ted's monologuing, delivered directly to the camera and shattering the fourth wall into a million tiny pieces, is not annoying in the slightest. My advice - cancel your two o'clock and get caught up with Better Off Tedonline, and catch it on the air Wednesdays, 8:30 on ABC.